Map of Benin | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960 as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001 though some irregularities were alleged.


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Location: Western Africa bordering the Bight of Benin between Nigeria and Togo

Geographic coordinates: 9 30 N 2 15 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 112,620 km²
Land: 110,620 km²
Water: 2,000 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries
Total: 1,989 km
Border countries: (4) Burkina Faso 306 km; , Niger 266 km; , Nigeria 773 km; , Togo 644 km

Coastline: 121 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; hot humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m

Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits limestone marble timber

Land use
Arable land: 23.53%
Permanent crops: 2.37%
Other: 74.1% (2005)

Irrigated land: 120 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: hot dry dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March

Geography
Note: sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors river mouths or islands


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Population
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 2.73% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: 33% (2001 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Beninese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Beninese

Ethnic groups: African 99% (42 ethnic groups most important being Fon Adja Yoruba Bariba) Europeans 5,500

Languages: French (official) Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south) tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50% Christian 30% Muslim 20%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 44.1% (male 1,751,709/female 1,719,138)
15-64 years: 53.5% (male 2,067,248/female 2,138,957)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 75,694/female 110,198) (2006 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 17.6 years
Male: 17.2 years
Female: 18 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.73% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 38.85 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 12.22 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.67 migrant(s)/1000 population (2006 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2006 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 79.56 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 84.09 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 74.88 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 53.04 years
Male: 51.9 years
Female: 54.22 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.2 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.9% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 68,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 5,800 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 33.6%
Male: 46.4%
Female: 22.6% (2002 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Benin
Conventional short form: Benin
Local long form: Republique du Benin
Local short form: Benin
Former: Dahomey

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Porto-Novo (official capital)
Geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Note: Cotonou (seat of government)

Administrative divisions: 12 departments; Alibori Atakora Atlantique Borgou Collines Kouffo Donga Littoral Mono Oueme Plateau Zou

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: National Day 1 August (1960)

Constitution: December 1990

Legal system: based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); runoff election held 19 March 2006 (next to be held March 2011)
Election results: YAYI Boni elected president; percent of vote - YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5%

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, Alliance MDC-PC-CPP, IPD, AFP, MDS, RDP) 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders
Note: approximately 20 additional minor parties

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB AU ECOWAS Entente FAO FZ G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU MIGA MONUC NAM OIC OIF ONUB OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMIL UNMIS UNOCI UPU WADB (regional) WAEMU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN
In the us chancery: 2,124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 232-6,656
In the us fax: [1] (202) 265-1996
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL
From the us embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou
From the us mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou
From the us telephone: [229] 30-06-50
From the us fax: [229] 30-06-70

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture cotton production and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past six years but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further Benin plans to attract more foreign investment place more emphasis on tourism facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products and encourage new information and communication technology. Many of these proposals are included in Benin's application to receive Millennium Challenge Account funding - for which it was a finalist in 2004-05. The 2001 privatization policy continues in telecommunications water electricity and agriculture in spite of government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation with Benin benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005 while pressing for more rapid structural reforms. Benin continues to be hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing list of products from Benin and elsewhere which has resulted in increased smuggling and criminality in the border region.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $8.419 billion (2005 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 3.5% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $1100 (2005 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 31.6%
Industry: 13.8%
Services: 54.6% (2004 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton corn cassava (tapioca) yams beans palm oil peanuts; livestock

Industries: textiles food processing construction materials cement

Industrial production growth rate: 8.3% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 3.211 million

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 33% (2001 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $766.8 million
Expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital expenditures of $N/A (2005 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.5% (2005 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: $-400 million (2005 est.)

Exports: $826.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: cotton crude oil palm products cocoa
Partners: China 31.3% Indonesia 8.1% India 7.4% Niger 6% Togo 4.8% Thailand 4.8% Nigeria 4.6% (2005)

Imports: $1.043 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs capital goods petroleum products
Partners: France 21.8% Ghana 7.1% Cote d'Ivoire 7% China 6.7% UK 5.2% Belgium 4.9% Togo 4.5% Thailand 4.2% Nigeria 4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $676 million (2005 est.)

Debt external: $1.6 billion (2000)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005) 528.29 (2004) 581.2 (2003) 696.99 (2002) 733.04 (2001)


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Electricity
Production: 69 million kWh (2003)
Consumption: 538.2 million kWh (2003)
Exports: 0 kWh (2003)
Imports: 474 million kWh (2003)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2003 est.)
Proven reserves: 1.218 billion m³ (1 January 2002)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 76,300 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 386,700 (2005)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections
International: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .bj
Hosts: 867 (2006)
Users: 425,000 (2005)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 2.3% (2005 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; in practice volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months (2004)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 5 (2006)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 4
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2006)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 578 km
Narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

Roadways
Total: 16,000 km
Paved: 1,400 km
Unpaved: 14,600 km (2005)

Waterways: 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Cotonou


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Disputes international: Benin and Burkina Faso military clash in 2006 over sections of riverine boundary involving disputed villages and squatters; much of Benin-Niger boundary including tripoint with Nigeria remains undemarcated; in 2005 Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin as a consequence of a 2004 joint task force to resolve maritime and land boundary disputes but clashes among rival gangs along the border persist; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly regulated financial infrastructure